Belle's Story: No Place for the Misunderstood

Belle has always lived the life of a gypsy, much like the Incredible Hulk, in that she used to wander from town to town to evade anyone learning of her inner beast. She never intended to be kept for an extended period of time by anyone, lest they may get to know her too well and see her darker side. Superficially, she appears to be a sweet, frisky kitty, but inside is a ferocious beast that if pent up will explode. When Beth brought her home that cold Christmas night, she entered a saga that would turn out to be fulfilling, but only after experiencing much pain and fear. Belle went through a period where her beast would erupt without warning, attacking anyone in its path. Belle was helpless to control its wrath. She did not have the insight to realize that inside her a battle was brewing between her true sweet nature and her "inner beast," representing a struggle to avoid being close, truly close, to anyone. Beth has many battle scars from facing Belle's inner beast, but finally it has been tamed and Belle can stop wandering and start enjoying her new friend.

Factual Belle

Belle was found by Beth at John's townhouse on a cold Christmas Day in 2003. Belle stayed at John's front door the entire day into the night, for at least 8 hours. The temperature was going down to the single digits that night and Beth could not leave her out in the cold so she brought her home planning to drop her off at the shelter the next morning. As it turns out, the no-kill shelter in Blacksburg was full of cats and had a long waiting list to accept any new ones. So Belle stayed with Beth and after a year of living together, they have formed a bond. Belle can be very sweet to Beth, but can also be very feisty to other people since she's a solitary cat and is often territorial about her room. Beth seems to be the only person who understands and appreciates Belle's softer side, and Belle loves her for this. Belle's favorite toy is a simple piece of memory wire with rolled up cardboard on the end. She also loves her hot pink feather boa!